You like me (I like you)
by KayLG
Summary: A random conversation shows Emma a new way to rile Regina up or maybe it's more about proving a point. While Emma is not sure by any means that Regina actually likes her (come to think of it 'tolerance' is probably a better word and that's stretching it), she is pretty confident that Regina is not as stand-offish as she likes to act.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** A random conversation shows Emma a new way to rile Regina up or maybe it's more about proving a point. While Emma is not sure by any means that Regina actually likes her (come to think of it 'tolerance' is probably a better word and that's stretching it), she is pretty confident that Regina is not as stand-offish as she likes to act. What started as pulling Regina's leg on Emma's part somehow turns more serious as time goes by.

* * *

Emma munched on her late morning pick-me-up and contentedly leaned back in her office chair. It had been a slow morning, not to say a slow week. There was some long overdue paperwork stacked on her desk, but other than that there wasn't really much to do. Flicking some crumbs off her shirt Emma spotted a cobweb in the corner, which reminded her of her confrontation with Regina the other day.

There were people who you could talk to for hours on end and then at some point in the conversation you wondered how you got there and you just couldn't remember. With Regina, Emma wasn't sure this was a good thing. Not that they talked for hours, because they definitely didn't. But regardless, when she wanted to, Regina had a way of spinning you around with words, making you forget what you were trying to say in the first place and leaving you feeling… kind of dumb to be honest. Emma had dealt with this so often already, but she still wondered how she had managed to get herself to a point where she had exclaimed, "but I'm a grown ass woman!"

"Please, Miss Swan," Regina had replied, her lips curling in distaste, "do refrain from stating what has been painfully obvious to everyone, who cares not to ignore you since you first stepped foot into this town."

Emma had scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Huh?" In hindsight she should have known that Regina would latch onto this unrefined response to make her look like a fool just because she could.

"Proving my point. Again," Regina had mumbled under her breath and continued in a louder voice before Emma had had the chance to interject, "You have _grown_ up to be an _ass_." She had inclined her head as if she was giving Emma a compliment, "A dumb ass no less."

"Just what..?" Emma had sputtered then scowled. "You know what? Whatever." And then she had scowled for a different reason. _Way to trip herself up._ She had closed her mouth but it had already been too late.

"Eloquently put as always. Congratulations, Miss Swan." Regina had smirked smugly.

Emma had stared at her very obviously trying to find a way to one-up Regina. Regina had been about to open her mouth and advise her not to try and break her measly excuse of a brain in the vain attempt to string together a coherent sentence, when Emma had let out a triumphant "Ha!" Regina may have gotten them irrevocably off track, but for the first time Emma had felt like she had unwittingly revealed something somewhere in her educated babble and Emma would capitalize on it.

Regina had lifted an unimpressed eyebrow as if saying _let's see what you came up with, you imbecile idiot_.

"'Everyone who _cares_ not to ignore me'?" Emma had quoted gleefully. "You know what that means?"

"I'm sure you are about to let me in on your substandard thought process," Regina had replied disinterestedly looking down at her nails.

"It means," Emma had elaborated with a triumphant gleam in her eyes, "that you care about me. You like me." Satisfied with herself Emma had crossed her arms in front of her chest and grinned broadly, mostly to annoy Regina and get a rise out of her.

Getting no reaction from Regina except for her stony expression Emma had loosened her arms again. "Oh, don't give me that deadpan face. I just repeated your own words to you. You don't ignore me. Which means: You. Like. Me. You can't get out of this one."

"Miss Swan," Regina had started in her best indifferent voice, "do you like spiders?"

"Er… no?" Emma had said hesitatingly confused by this sudden change in topic.

"So, when and where was the last time you saw a spider?"

Emma's gaze had flitted to the clock beside the window. "Two hours ago. In my room."

"See? There you have it." Regina had returned to the papers on her desk dismissing Emma.

"But.. but…" Emma had grappled for words. "How _could_ I ignore it? It was _right there_!"

"Yes," Regina had sighed exasperatedly, "Unfortunately."

Emma may have been the one to walk away outgunned – again – but after her comment about Regina liking her, Emma felt like she had almost had the upper hand. Emma was not sure by any means that Regina actually liked her, come to think of it _tolerance_ was probably a better word and that was stretching it. But she was pretty confident that Regina was not as stand-offish as she liked to act.

Taking the last bite of her bear claw, Emma crumpled up the take-out bag into a tight ball and aimed for the trash can beside the empty deputy's desk.

The clicking of heels on the tiled floor in the hallway alerted her to the presence and identity of her soon to be visitor and just as Regina rounded the corner Emma's balled up paper bag hit its aim with a satisfying thump.

Emma swiveled around in her chair with a pleased expression and faced Regina who sported an unimpressed lifted eyebrow. "Our taxes hard at work I see," she drawled accompanying her quip with a slight smirk.

At this reminder of her early days in Storybrooke Emma smiled because the way Regina uttered those words now was not comparable to how she had said them then.

"Yeah well, gotta keep my good marksmanship," Emma grinned.

"Keep telling yourself that, Sheriff Swan," Regina replied and fully stepped into the room. Emma opened her mouth to defend her perfect aim in faked indignation when Regina waved her off, "I don't have all day and I don't want to keep you longer than necessary..." Her pointed look wasn't lost on Emma, "or longer than you seem to be keeping yourself anyways," she added as if on second thought. Emma had the decency to close her mouth and wait for what Regina had to say.

"Are you free tonight?"

"What?" The question slipped out of Emma's mouth without permission and her eyebrows shot up.

Regina rolled her eyes exasperatedly and repeated slowly, "Are you free tonight?" really saying _are you dense?_

"Yeah, I guess," Emma replied unsure of where this was headed.

Regina huffed and Emma wondered if she was displeased with Emma's hesitance or if the whole topic simply annoyed her. "Henry wants you over for dinner."

"You're inviting me?" Emma asked astonished not having anticipated this turn of events.

" _Henry_ invited you," Regina was quick to correct. Burying her hands into the pockets of her cream colored coat she waited for Emma to reply.

"Okay, yeah, I'm totally free!" Emma smiled and relaxed into her chair. "What time should I be there? And can I bring anything?"

"We are expecting you at seven sharp. And you don't need to bring anything," Regina waved her hand nonchalantly. "I haven't decided what to make yet."

Something about the way Regina said this piqued Emma's interest and she narrowed her eyes observing Regina closely. "So, do you have any allergies or dislikes I should be aware of?" Regina continued as if she had noticed Emma's sudden interest in her body language and wanted to knock her off course.

"Er no…" Emma tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear and shrugged, "I guess I eat almost everything."

"Obviously," the brunette sassed with a disapproving glance towards the trash can.

Now it was Emma's turn to lift an eyebrow and tilt her head in the universal _really?_ expression.

"Very well," Regina diffused the situation and took a step towards the door. "It's settled then. See you later." She stared Emma down for a few seconds before adding, "don't be late," with a slightly exaggerated Mayor Mills sternness.

"I wouldn't dare," Emma replied rolling her eyes. She watched Regina turn around and head for the hallway when a sudden idea struck her and she suppressed her grin.

"Regina?"

Regina turned around and regarded her with a curious expression. "What is it, Miss Swan?"

"You know, you didn't have to come here to invite me. You could've just called," Emma flicked her hand to the phone on her desk, "or, I don't know, texted."

After a second of standing motionlessly in the doorway a haughty expression crossed Regina's face. "Unlike _some people_ I have manners. And as even you should be aware of, an invitation is best extended personally."

"While that is true," Emma agreed preparing to make her point, "shouldn't it be _Henry's_ job to turn up here? But you went out of your way and obviously consider me worthy of showing some manners to." Emma proudly crossed her arms. "Do you know what that means?" At this point she didn't even bother holding her cheeky grin back anymore.

"It means that I can uninvite you just as quickly," Regina scowled and braced her palm against the door frame.

"No, you can't, because it's Henry's invitation as you so kindly pointed out," Emma replied smartly.  
"Second of all," Regina droned on ignoring Emma, "I did not go out of my way. I need to run a few errands and merely stopped by." Her expression clearly warned Emma to tread carefully. If there was one thing Emma learned while dealing with Regina it was not to overplay her hand. So, she bit back on calling her out on this by commenting on how _running errands_ while on the clock surely wouldn't fly well with the mayor.

"If that's the case, then I don't want to keep you," she relented instead. "See you tonight. And… thank you," Emma added with a genuine smile.

"You're welcome," Regina replied less stiffly and after a parting moment of regarding Emma with an unreadable expression, she turned on her heels and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Lasagna is not the only thing Regina can cook.**

* * *

"Soo…" Emma started, letting herself plop unceremoniously into the booth opposite Regina.

"So?" Regina deadpanned, lifting an unimpressed eyebrow questioningly and letting her gaze flicker over Emma's form.

"So, you cooked me dinner last night," Emma replied with a satisfied and almost cheeky grin. Regina sighed and reluctantly let go of her newspaper. This was going to take a while.

"I cooked _Henry_ dinner last night," she corrected.

"Okay, fine, so you cooked _Henry_ and me dinner last night." Emma confusedly wrinkled her forehead. "Saying 'dinner last night' starts to make no sense in my head. Dinner last night. Dinner last night. Does that still make sense to you?"

"Miss Swan," Regina said in a low voice, gritting her teeth. "Is there a point in your inane rambling or is this your way of trying to be cute?"

Surprised by Regina's unexpected choice of words Emma tilted her head to the side, but then decided to file this away to mull over later.

"My point is that you cooked me dinner last night aaand…" she lifted her finger before Regina could interrupt, "not just any dinner, but my favorite dish as well!"

"Miss Swan, I am capable of a lot of things, but clairvoyance is not one of them. How am I supposed to know what your favorite dish is?"

"I don't know," Emma replied, "but somehow you did, and there's got to be a reason why you made it," she concluded happily, wiggling her eyebrows.

Regina blinked and grabbed for her coffee. She took a long calming sip regaining her composure. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but spaghetti with meatballs is _Henry's_ favorite, which is obviously the real reason why I made it." She punctuated her statement by carefully putting the mug down with a clink.

"Oh," Emma breathed, visibly deflating. Regina hesitated briefly, but Ruby chose that moment to come to their table and set a bear claw in front of Emma. "Here you are," she said with a bright smile.

"Thanks," Emma muttered and dejectedly took a small bite. Ruby sauntered off and Regina shook her head, pulling her newspaper closer to herself.

Silence settled over their table in which Regina stared at an article on the newly founded choir lead by no one less than the Blue Fairy herself and Emma fiddled with her cell under the table.

After a few minutes in which Regina didn't get past the first two sentences of the article that she didn't even care about, she broke the silence. "Maybe you should start to regularly eat healthy homemade food instead of this artery clogging calorie bombs." Regina sniffed eying Emma's bear claw with a disdainful sneer.

"Yeah?" Emma lifted her eyebrow interestedly. Regina sounded almost concerned about her health. "Well, your cooking skills are pretty exceptional in this town and until there is someone else who can make something healthier _and_ tastier than this," Emma nodded to the half-eaten bear claw on her plate, "I think I'm gonna stick with this."

Regina straightened in her seat. "It will not do that the Sheriff of my town becomes slow and her alertness becomes impaired because of her ill-advised heating habits. Since last night wasn't completely terrible and Henry will want you to come over again anyways I suggest you make sure to have a free evening next week."

"Everyone knows I would die for a good burger,"

"Or _from_ a good burger," Regina muttered under her breath.

"But even if you did it for Henry, your cooking was amazing," Emma continued rolling her eyes at Regina's stab. "So, that sounds nice. Thank you. Almost like family night."

Emma expected a snide comment about how they weren't family, but after staring at her for a second Regina settled for "Don't even think about stringing along the two idiots. It's enough that I have to put up with you."

Emma grinned, "Okay."

Regina averted her gaze to her abandoned newspaper effectively dismissing Emma.

Emma wrinkled her forehead suddenly remembering an abandoned thread of conversation. "Regina?" she started.

"What is it now, Miss Swan?" Regina replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Do you think I'm cute?"

Regina's face froze and she glared at her pointedly. "Don't press your luck, Miss Swan," she almost growled in a deadly voice.

"Okay, okay!" Emma laughed, lifting her hands in surrender. "I'm gonna go now," she snatched the last piece of her bear claw off her plate, ungracefully stuffing it in her mouth and stood up. "See you later."

Regina just gave a noncommittal grunt in response staring intently at her newspaper.

Emma snickered on her way to the door. Riling Regina up was so easy.

When the door of the diner fell closed behind her with a faint jingle, Emma felt a vibration in her pocket. Pulling her cell phone out, she saw Henry's name flashing on her screen. That was probably his reply to the question she had shot him earlier while nibbling on her bear claw. And judging by the time he was probably texting her in class but who cared, this was important. She eagerly opened his message and a bright smile slowly lit up her face. Reaching the sidewalk she turned back to the diner to see Regina still sitting stiffly in her booth with her back to Emma, clutching her coffee and staring at the paper. She had yet to turn the page.

Emma turned back to the street and started to walk towards the station, a big smile on her face and her cell stuffed back in her pocket.

* * *

' _Kid, what is your favorite homemade meal?_ '

' _Hands down, my mom's chicken curry_ '


	3. Chapter 3

Regina flicked the report closed with a satisfied sigh and leaned back in her office chair. "I think that was the last for today, Sheriff Swan."

Emma leaned back as well and fixed her with an unreadable expression for a few seconds. "Yeah," she replied then, drawing the word out contemplatively and letting her gaze drop to the wooden table top. Regina's eyes narrowed taking in her imperceptively slumped shoulders and the fact that Emma had yet to move from her chair in front of Regina's desk to get up and leave. She sighed again, less satisfied and more resigned this time.

"What is it now, Miss Swan?"

Emma's head snapped up and her gaze locked with Regina's.

"You called me by my name," she said, the tone of her voice unreadable while her eyes twinkled and her forehead was wrinkled as if she had a riddle to solve.

"Would you rather I called you 'idiot'?" Regina asked slightly confused folding her hands on the table. "No problem at all, that's what I call you in my head anyways." She smirked to herself lifting a daring eyebrow.

Emma didn't seem to be in the mood for their usual exchange of verbal stings, because instead of responding in kind her eyes seemed to scan over Regina's face and if Regina didn't know any better, she would think that the slight tightening around her mouth was an expression of… hurt.

"Do you really?" Emma asked, her voice lower than before and the twinkle in her eyes gone. Regina opened her mouth to respond, but then paused.

"Sometimes," she conceded, "Not as often as I used to." After a moment of silence she inclined her head and added, "And maybe not as venomously either."

A small smile flittered over Emma's face and she straightened in her seat.

"What I meant was, you called me 'Emma'," she explained with a wave of her hand.

Regina leaned back again, her smirk back in place. "That _is_ your name, is it not?"

Emma just stared at her sighing exasperatedly.

"Be that as it may," Regina continued unaffectedly, "I don't quite recall to which incident you are referring, Miss Swan." Emma scowled at this deliberate use of her surname eliciting a pleased grin from Regina.

"Well, you weren't talking _to_ me, more like _about_ me. With Henry."

"Eavesdropping now, are we?" Regina tsked. "What would your superior think of you, Sheriff Swan, if she knew? I don't think you are getting paid for spying on private conversations." Emma's eyebrows shot up incredulously. "Yeah, because spying was the job of other people on the mayor's payroll," she deadpanned. Regina just waved a dismissive hand through the air. "Firstly, no one actually got _paid_ for spying and secondly, you are changing the subject."

Emma sighed. "I wasn't spying." At Regina's pointed look, she elaborated, "It was at the station yesterday, when you were picking Henry up." Regina nodded slowly for her to continue. "I came back from the storage room, then I heard you talking. You said something along the lines of 'Emma needs to learn how to eat like a grown up'." Emma good naturedly rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yes," Regina confirmed, remembering the conversation she had had with Henry clearly. "He told me that he caught you having Cheerios again. For dinner."

Wrinkling her forehead Emma mumbled, "How did he even… he wasn't even _there_!" before shaking her head. "That was the day before yesterday. It was late and I didn't have anything in the house."

"He is our son," Regina replied matter of factly, as if that explained everything.

"Anyways," Emma tried to get the conversation back on track, "I thought we were over this. And that's not even the point."

"What _is_ the point then, Miss Swan?" Regina leaned forward again.

"Why can't you just call me Emma? You obviously do it when you talk to other people."

"And you obviously don't put up a fuss, when other people call you 'Miss Swan'. What's wrong with 'Miss Swan'?"

"Nothing," Emma shot back immediately, making it obvious that it was not _nothing_ at all.

"Well, then I won't, not until you explain to me why."

"It's…" Emma hesitated. Why was it always like pulling teeth with Regina? "I'm not good at this." She slumped in her chair. After a second her gaze wandered back to Regina's attentive expression and she took a deep breath.

"It's just that I _chose_ Swan. It was the name of the family that first adopted me. But they tossed me back as soon as they had their own kid. I didn't know until years later. I could have changed my name, because the Swans weren't my 'parents' anymore," she made air quotes with her fingers, "but I didn't. I chose it as a reminder that no matter how dark you think your life is, you can still find good in it. They did send me back, but they were also my first family and I was happy with them."

She paused, lowering her gaze and her voice. "But it is also a reminder that nothing ever lasts. That love is… ephemeral. That the only person you can count on is yourself and no one else." Silence settled between them after Emma finished her explanation. After a few seconds that were marked by the steady ticking sound of the grandfather clock in the corner, Emma looked up to find Regina studying her with an unreadable expression.

"I love Swan," she continued, "don't get me wrong. But I kinda hate it as well. But Emma's just…" she trailed off, searching for the right words. "Emma is… _me_ ," she finished blinking and letting out a breath.

Regina nodded almost imperceptively, while Emma cleared her throat. "That's why I want people who are close to me to call me Emma."

"I think," Regina murmured contemplatively, "you will come to find that Storybrooke is quite different from the world you come from, dear. There are just some people you can't seem to get rid of." A faint smile flittered across her face. "They will always…" she trailed off, a pained grimace settling on her face that betrayed just how much she _couldn't_ finish that sentence.

"…find you?" Emma supplied, the smallest of smiles coming back to her eyes.

"Yes. That." Regina replied looking as if she had smelled something foul. The smile on Emma's lips widened.

"Well," she drawled, suddenly feeling awkward after sharing thoughts about her name that she had never before tried to put into words. "Maybe I should get going. I need to patrol… or something." She stood up quickly and pushed Regina's visitor chair closer to her desk.

"Then take these back to the station with you," Regina replied handing her the reports they had gone through together. Emma took them, but Regina didn't immediately let go. Her intense gaze met Emma's and she gave her a rare genuine smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emma murmured then turned on her heel and made a beeline for the door. Her right hand closed around the handle when she heard Regina's voice from behind her.

"Have a good night, Emma."

A warm smile spread on Emma's face. "Goodnight, Regina."


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a heartfelt sorry for taking so long and a thank you for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing!**

 **I've got three more chapters already planned out and partially written and I would like to hear your ideas! I take cues from the show and we already covered Emma eating Cheerios or eating in general and Regina disapproving ("You eat like a child"), Regina calling Emma 'Emma' behind her back ("Emma, Henry and the two idiots"), Regina** ** _not_** **cooking Lasagna and here we cover "our son"… I suggest we branch out :D**

 **A small teaser: coming up are "I don't want to kill you" and the implications of Regina letting Charming touch her in his usual supportive gentlemanly manner (remember that scene when they talked to Aurora and Philip in the Enchanted Forest at the beginning of the lost year?).**

 **If you have any ideas, suggestions or wishes let me know!**

* * *

Emma swallowed the last of her chicken curry and leaned back with a contented sigh folding her hands on her stuffed belly. "That was delicious, thank you."

"You're quite welcome, dear," Regina nodded, acknowledging the compliment. It was getting dark outside and the warm light from several lamps in Regina's dining room made for a homey and comfortable atmosphere. Emma watched Henry scrape his fork over his plate and enthusiastically shove the remnants of his dinner into his mouth. Noticing his sad expression before he even finished chewing because his second helping was already gone, Emma suddenly smirked.

"So that's what Henry's favorite dish tastes like."

For a fracture of a second Regina froze. Then she pursed her lips and daintily put her last bite into her mouth, chewed and swallowed. "One of his favorites."

Henry warily looked from one of his mothers to the other noticing the slight shift in the air. "This actually _is_ …" "Henry, dear, why don't you start clearing the table? There's chocolate pie for dessert," Regina cut him off, smiling sweetly.

"Okay…" Henry replied slowly even more suspicious now. There was obviously something going on, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Glancing at Emma he saw her trying to hide a self-satisfied expression which made her look kinda constipated. _Adults_. Sliding down from his chair, he stacked the empty plates and made his way to the kitchen.

"Soo," Emma started and let go of the pretense of not being smug. She had her right there and there was no escape.

Regina regarded her with pursed lips and when Emma leaned forward with a grin firmly in place she interrupted her before this went any further. "While I am happy for you that you obviously learned a new word and try to use it on every appropriate and inappropriate occasion, I just want to remind you that there's cake."

"And what does the cake have to do with anything?" Emma asked not willing to let this opportunity slide.

"Well, Henry doesn't get any when he misbehaves," Regina replied easily, "since you are being childish the same rule applies to you."

Emma stared for a moment, the fight between getting Regina to admit versus delicious chocolate cake obvious behind her eyes. There was no mistaken that Regina was being serious. _There would probably be other opportunities…_

At Regina's expectantly lifted eyebrow Emma groaned and fell back in her chair. "Ugh."

The barely noticeable twitch at the corner of Regina's mouth seemed to say _thought so_. Emma scowled. "I _will_ get you."

Folding her napkin neatly on the table cloth and smoothing it down, a few strands of hair fell into Regina's face when she tilted her head. "Don't try too hard. The only thing you might get is a concussion."

A determined glint appeared in Emma's eyes. "I'll take my chances."

Henry chose that moment to return to the dining room, balancing the cake on one hand and holding three plates in the other.

"Henry!" Regina immediately got out of her seat and carefully took the cake plate from him before he could drop it. "How many times did I tell you that it won't kill you to go more than one time to fetch everything?" she scolded. Henry had the decency to look sheepish while Emma grinned. _Like mother like son_. When Regina turned around to place the cake on the table Emma quickly schooled her features into a stern expression. Judging from the slight furrow of Regina's brow she wasn't completely successful.

"I just wanted to make it quick," Henry argued feebly, "and I was being extra careful." He leaned across the table to set down two plates in front of his mothers and one for himself before taking his seat again.

Regina lifted her eyebrow. "You would have had to go a second time anyway to get the cutlery."

"Oops," Henry looked caught since he obviously hadn't noticed that something was missing. He made to get up again but Regina waved her hand to stop him. "It's alright, dear, I'll go. Just remember next time."

When she was gone Emma leaned forward and addressed Henry in a lowered voice. "Does Regina really take your cake away when you misbehave?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "You have no idea." Emma swallowed. She had made the right decision. "But," he continued thoughtfully with a small grin swinging his legs under the table, "she never mentions it when I sneak into the kitchen later and get some."

Emma smiled in response. She could see Regina not really being able to deprive Henry of anything he wanted. The same thing probably wouldn't apply to her though. What a shame.

Regina's purposeful steps could be heard from the hall and Emma and Henry both turned their heads with equally eager expressions. When she strode in holding dessert forks, a knife and a pie server she caught them staring and paused momentarily looking from one to the other with a slightly confused frown. Then she just sighed resignedly and Emma could have sworn she heard the word ' _children_ ' being uttered under Regina's breath.

After handing out the forks, cutting up the cake and serving Henry, Emma and then herself, Regina sat down gracefully and smoothed down her dress.

The food induced contented silence that settled over the table didn't last long.

"Hey kid," Emma started after inhaling half of her cake, "we still haven't talked about how you sold me out to your Mom the other day."

Henry's forehead wrinkled in confusion and he swallowed a mouthful of cake not noticing a big crumb sticking to his cheek, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, so this happens on a regular basis?" Emma snorted a laugh, "You don't even know which of the many occasions I mean?" She grinned, enjoying making him squirm a bit for being a little blabbermouth.

"Emmaaa!" Henry whined clutching his fork and fidgeting uneasily on his chair. Regina put down her fork and followed the exchange interestedly. Detecting the crumb on Henry's face immediately, she absentmindedly picked up her napkin, leaned over slightly and wiped it away.

After letting Henry stew for a few seconds while he looked at her with big eyes, Emma deemed him appropriately uncomfortable and let him off the hook. "You remember the Cheerios for dinner thing?"

"Oh," he said and the nervous energy around him dropped instantly. Then he grinned and relaxed back in his chair. "I didn't sell you out."

Emma just lifted her eyebrows and gave him a deadpan stare.

"Okay, so maybe I told Mom about it," Henry admitted after a moment.

"Aha!" Emma interrupted.

"Buuut," he continued with a smug grin, "it's not a _sell_ out if I don't get anything in return."

Emma narrowed her eyes. There was something off about this statement and Henry's attempt to talk himself out of it.

"You think you're so clever, Mister Smart-" Regina's hawk like gaze snapped to Emma, "-ypants," she finished somewhat lamely. "Anyways," she recovered quickly while Henry snickered under his breath earning himself a slightly less disapproving frown from Regina, "why do I feel like you _did_ get something in return?" Emma's searching doubtful gaze only made Henry drop his and busy himself with his dessert.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied quickly and unconvincingly and stuffed a fork full of cake in his mouth with a confirming nod as if that explained everything.

"If you say so…" Emma relented and took her last bite, while Regina scrutinized her son for a moment longer. He didn't really look guilty and even though he tried to school his features well aware of Emma's suspicions he couldn't fool her. From her angle she could see a tiny pleased twitch of his lips and a happy gleam in his eyes, if she looked close enough. Her eyes flickered to Emma and then back to Henry, catching his covert glance in her and then Emma's direction and her lips parted in realization. _Interesting_. She would have to have a word with him about manipulating people.

* * *

After finishing their dessert Regina sent Henry upstairs to get his homework done and took their plates to the kitchen. Emma followed carrying the remainders of the cake contemplating how to get Regina to let her take some of it home. While Regina quickly loaded the dishwasher Emma set the cake down on a counter and leaned against the kitchen island.

"Can I help with anything?" Emma asked but Regina only shot her a brief smile and shook her head. "I only have to put this away," she said after shutting the dishwasher and walking the cake over to the fridge. Emma followed her with a disappointed gaze and sighed when the pie disappeared.

"So," Regina turned and smoothed down some non-existent wrinkles of her dress. Her eyes narrowed momentarily at Emma's barely controlled pout, but then her lips formed a devilish smirk. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?"  
Emma let out a surprised laugh. "You get a kick out of this, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Regina mimicked Henry's words a lot more convincingly with an amused grin and started to walk in the direction of her study.

Emma followed into the hallway letting out a playful huff, "I'm surprised you didn't make _apple_ pie or something for dessert."

Pausing in the doorway with one hand on the handle Regina lifted her finger in a playfully superior manner. "Haven't you learned not to spend all ammunition on one occasion? And for the record, I don't want to kill you."

Emma snorted and shook her head to herself with a small grin. "Well, since you threw me out the last time before I could really drink it, I can't say no."

"I did no such thing." Regina shot back sounding almost appalled at this dig at her hosting manners, expertly glossing over the fact that getting rid of Emma and fast had been the only thing on her mind at the time. They entered the warmly lit room and Regina gently closed the door behind them. "If I remember correctly you threw yourself out."

"What? No, I didn't!" Emma exclaimed swiveling her head in Regina's direction after having just taken a seat on the beige-colored couch cushion. Regina walked over to the drinking cabinet while Emma followed her with her eyes. Pouring two generous servings of cider into two tumblers she looked over her shoulder. "Well you gave the cue. I simply took up on it and dismissed you. So this is really your fault."

Emma leaned back into the soft fabric of the couch and let out a breath. There wasn't really a point in arguing with Regina since she was right, kind of. Instead she let her gaze flitter over the light brown wood paneling and the impressive bookcase that took up the majority of two walls. One day she'd take a closer look at those books, if only to find out what Regina deemed appropriate reading to be on display in her home office and if those books turned out to not be for show, all the better. "Then I hope I do get a proper taste before being dismissed this time around," Emma mumbled distractedly.

The amber liquid sloshed slightly in the glasses as Regina sauntered over to where Emma was slumped and extended one to her. "We will see," she smirked before sitting down on the couch opposite Emma.

"Third time's the charm, huh?" Emma grinned lifting her glass in a mock toast. At Regina's questioning gaze she elaborated, "My third dinner here and the first time I get your infamous cider." Regina only shrugged in response and lifted her own glass to her lips.

The apple cider was fruity and kind of spicy and left a warm feeling behind as the first sip slid down Emma's throat. She smacked her lips to try and discern what this _something else_ that she tasted was, but she couldn't put a name to it. The only information she gained – and that wasn't really anything new – was that Regina obviously disapproved of noisy drinking if her slightly narrowed eyes were any indication. Regina's expression reminded Emma that she had managed to annoy Regina with another line of questioning lately and she barely suppressed a grin.

"Soo…" she started and Regina let out an exasperated sigh. The at this point almost obligatory ' _what is it now, Emma?'_ went unsaid.

"You called him _our_ son."

A moment passed in which several emotions flickered over Regina's face – defensiveness in the slight furrow of her brow but also acknowledgement in the almost invisible quirk of her lips and sincerity in her eyes – until she settled on being her usual sarcastic self.

"I genuinely hope for you that you are not about to tell me about yet _another_ parent I don't know about," she snarked.

Emma almost choked on her cider and then scrunched up her face in a mixture of confusion, amusement and disgust. "That's not even possible, Regina."

Regina gave her a look as if not expecting the unexpected was the most foolish thing you could ever do, which was probably true. Then she lifted her glass to her lips and muttered, "With my luck it just may well be," to herself.

Something in Emma's chest tightened. Despite or maybe _because_ of everything, she knew exactly what Regina meant. A beat of silence passed between them in which Emma tried to come up with a response even though she was pretty sure that Regina did not want to continue this train of thought. As she finally opened her mouth to try and stir the conversation into a different direction without cutting Regina off in case she wanted to elaborate, Regina beat her to it.

"Well, I can't deny that you passed on some annoying habits of yours," she quipped in a lighter tone swirling the cider around in her tumbler and letting one corner of her mouth tug upwards in a barely there smile.

So Emma had been right in not commenting further. "Like what?" she asked instead, tilting her head interestedly and leaning forward in her seat.

"Like your incessant need to know everything and putting your nose where it doesn't belong," Regina immediately answered with a pointed look. Then she added, "and that he sometimes believes he is smarter than he actually is. But I'm sure _he_ will grow out of it."

Emma rolled her eyes and leaned back again. "You think you are so funny."

"Well," Regina shrugged setting her glass down on the coffee table between them, "he played us."

"What?" Emma furrowed her brow in surprise and contemplation wracking her brain for what Regina could possibly mean by that.

"Harping on about your oh so unhealthy rate of Cheerios consumption? He obviously wanted to gain another dinner here with you." Regina explained in a voice that was so _duh_ Emma got the distinct impression she wanted to sweep something under the table. With slightly narrowed eyes Emma hit the nail on the head: "And what would make him think bringing up my diet was the way to go about this?"

A beat of silence passed in which Emma watched Regina like a hawk. Busying herself with picking her glass back up and sipping her cider Regina drew the moment out until it bordered on awkward before finally answering, "Last time, when he asked me to have you over again, I had invited you already." She still looked slightly uncomfortable before she caught herself and stared at her nails projecting an air of detached nonchalance. "I may have insinuated I did that because it is more probable for you to die because of coronary heart disease than anything else and that I had no interest in being blamed for that, what with my track record…" she trailed off, not really sounding apologetic.

"Seriously? That's what you went with?" Emma rubbed the fingers of her free hand over her forehead before staring at Regina again. A faint smile found its way onto her face. "You could have simply told him, that you like-" At Regina's glare Emma quickly changed track,

"-that you were being friendly."

"I am not _friendly_." Regina scoffed with disgust. Pursing her lips she searched for the right word, "I'm… charitable."

Emma lifted her eyebrows but didn't comment further. _Regina and charitable? My ass. This was denial with a capital D._

"Anyways," Regina continued quickly clearly having caught Emma's expression, "I'm willing to bet that Henry didn't even really catch you. He probably only assumed and of course you had to prove him right with your childlike eating habits."

Thinking back to that day at the station Emma nodded. Like she had already told Regina Henry couldn't have known since he hadn't been with her on the day in question. Come to think of it he hadn't even been in the apartment later, before running his mouth to Regina, so there was no way he could have sneaked through her dishes or her garbage (never underestimate Henry on a mission. The kid would to anything to gather 'intel').

"Sneaky little-"

"Emma," Regina's admonishment was immediate but her expression softened at Emma's sheepish smile. They held eye-contact for a few seconds until Emma let her gaze wander over the bookcase again and they sipped their cider in companionable silence. Henry really had grown up in the last few months if he had learned to press people's buttons, Emma thought, even though he wasn't sneaky about it, no matter what she had wanted to call him just a few moments ago.

Maybe Regina had been worn down by what could be described as an amicable evening or maybe it was the cider, but she suddenly continued their trailed off conversation in a seeming non-sequitur, "and I believe he inherited your thinking face."

"You… I have a thinking face?" Emma asked surprised having caught herself before blurting out 'You _noticed_ my thinking face?' This type of unwittingly given information had to be used spot on for maximum effect.

"Well," Regina said nipping her cider, "It doesn't show itself too often…"

Emma couldn't suppress her huff of exasperation. Leave it to Regina to _always_ have a smart ass comment at the ready, "Is there a competition I'm not aware of? Are you trying for _Queen of Bullying_?" she retorted, underwhelmed.

"Well, _Queen of Mishaps_ was already taken," Regina shot back with a sweet smile. "Or rather _Princess,_ " she added sizing Emma up with a playfully haughty expression. Emma's mouth dropped open in offence, not really sure if it was completely feigned of not, but Regina continued unperturbed, "Either way, it's called _Wit_ not _Bullying_. Do try to keep up, dear."

Emma gave her an unimpressed stare, "Are you quite finished with your campaign speech?" she deadpanned. Regina smiled winningly and gave a humble shrug of her shoulders before finishing off her glass with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

Emma rolled her eyes with a sigh and leaned forward. "Can we get back on track? Seriously, I can't believe he tricked us."

"I wouldn't say he tricked _us_." Regina grinned unrepentant. Emma scowled gulping down the rest of her cider, because of _course_ Regina had to take this opportunity to act as if she had known this from the start and Emma would have been none the wiser, which okay, wasn't completely inaccurate but seriously.

"Oh, don't act as if you got the bad end of the deal," she declared indicating Emma's satisfied slouch and standing up from the couch. "He _is_ our son after all." She picked up her own glass and plucked Emma's out of her hand, walking over to the liquor cabinet, "Another one?"

Emma pulled her fingers through her hair while settling her right hand on her stomach. "Yeah, sure. Thanks," she mumbled having to agree with Regina and automatically relaxing further into the couch after being reminded of the most delicious curry she had eaten in pretty much ever.

Regina busied herself with their refill while Emma listened to the sound of glass clinking against glass, cider being poured and the sound of the fabric when she set her left hand down beside her and absentmindedly scratched at the cushion. Looking down she noticed the beautifully intricate pattern of the cushion for the first time and was startled out of her reverie when her tumbler suddenly appeared in her line of vision. Taking it she shot Regina a thankful smile and immediately brought it to her lips. Regina held her gaze for a moment with an unreadable expression before stroking down the back of her dress and settling down in one graceful motion.

"Emma?" she started, a flicker of uncertainty briefly passing over her eyes before her features smoothed back displaying their usual self-confidence. Emma immediately zeroed in on that, wondering what could possibly make Regina apprehensive to ask the question she was obviously contemplating to voice.

Deciding to lighten the mood Emma grinned, "What is it now, Miss Mills?"  
Regina couldn't help but let out a surprised snort which was quickly followed by a stern look. "Careful, dear," she said, "I might just start calling you Miss Swan again."  
Emma fixed her with a fake grumpy look to which Regina only reacted with a barely there but no less genuine smile.

"But since you started this topic anyways," she continued going for nonchalance and leaning back in her seat, "I was wondering about something you said the other day."

"Yeah?" Emma questioned lifting her eyebrows.

"Yes," Regina confirmed taking a dainty sip from her tumbler. She lowered her glass after that, tapping her index finger against it considering her next words carefully. "You said that 'Swan' was the name of your first family and that it holds good and… unpleasant memories for you."

"Yes…" Emma said slowly having stiffened slightly not knowing where Regina was going with this and not sure how to feel about Regina bringing this topic up. Also, calling what Emma had told her one week ago 'unpleasant' and not something more drastic gave Emma pause. The corners of her mouth turned down of their own accord but at the same time it occurred to her that Regina apparently could be sensitive if she so chose. Phrasing the negativity delicately somehow placated Emma and she didn't feel the need to shoot Regina down before she even had the chance to pose her actual question. That her voice sounded softer somehow and more earnest than before didn't hurt either.

"You said that 'Emma' is you," Regina continued, "but shouldn't it remind you of your parents?" ' _The people who gave you up'_ went unsaid.

Emma squirmed uneasily in her seat. "You've given this some thought, huh?" she said absentmindedly, scratching the back of her head as an outlet for the awkward energy she felt.

"No, this was obvious to me without having to give this ' _some thought_ '," Regina said arrogantly and somehow this sudden change in tone gave Emma the distinct impression that Regina thought bringing their conversation back to their usual level of bickering would make it easier for her. Emma let out a breath but still sat there deflated without answering the question choosing to stare into her drink instead.

"Oh well, for goodness sake, maybe I did give it a reasonable amount of thought," Regina lifted her glass and Emma wondered if she came to the conclusion that acting completely unaffected was not the way to go here. "It's not as if I sat down with a glass of wine contemplating your life," she scoffed in slightly exaggerated derisiveness as if such a thought would not only be absurd but preposterous.

 _Which didn't necessarily mean that it didn't_ _happen_. Something about the way Regina had said this made Emma's lie detector not quiet ping but give a twitch nonetheless. It was probably a matter of opinion if such a notion really was that preposterous. As for being absurd… Absurd stuff happened in Storybrooke all the time, right? Maybe not _that_ kind of absurd stuff though.

Emma gave a self-deprecating scoff of her own and took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, it was probably a glass of cider," she joked half-heartedly and leaned forward to place her tumbler on the coaster on the coffee table. The movement made her miss the uncomfortable look crossing Regina's face briefly, before she settled back and sighed. Leaning her right arm on the armrest she let her fingers tap out a rhythm against the polished wood gathering her thoughts.

"It's um… well. You know my baby blanket, right?" she decided to say looking at Regina through her lashes, "It's in Henry's book."

Regina stared for a second and then nodded slowly. She stayed quiet otherwise, attentively, prompting Emma to continue.

"Right, uh so…" Rubbing her hands over her jean-clad thighs a few times Emma nodded to herself and continued. "When I was… found. It was the only thing I had with me. So that's how they knew my name and I… I kept it, still have it with me 'till today actually. And um… it looks handmade, you know?" Emma scratched at her neck looking for the right words.

"So, I kinda thought my parents had to have made at least some kind of effort with me, they picked out a name and had a blanket made… it somehow never occurred to me that maybe that wasn't even _my_ blanket. That's something I'd never doubted," she let out a snort that did not sound happy but rather incredulous at the absurdity of it all. The corners of Regina's eyes clenched but her gaze didn't waver. Emma ignored this, picking her glass back up to give her hands something to do and plowed on wanting to get those unvoiced thoughts out now that she had started.

"Anyways, so you have no idea how many theories I had growing up about why my parents gave me up. Why they didn't want me and… abandoned me. On the side of a damned _high way_ ," Emma swallowed and then let out a breathy little mirthless laugh. "Maybe they'd wanted me but I was kidnapped, or maybe they'd been mugged and saved me but couldn't get away themselves." Emma blinked and Regina's lips parted allowing herself one moment of shuffling uneasily on the couch. Putting little Emma's theories together maybe wouldn't have been that far away from the truth.

"Or, what I thought was more probable when I was older," Emma went on, "was that maybe I was an accident and they didn't even bother to make sure I lived after they got rid of me."

She paused to take a gulp of her cider, sighed and then took another one.

"In the end I could only believe that either they were dead or they didn't want me because… growing up, it's been so _hard_ and I couldn't, I just couldn't give up on myself and I couldn't stop believing that you can _do_ something, if you just… You have to try hard enough." She squinted at Regina and noted with faint surprise the understanding born from own experience swirling in her dark eyes.

"For them not to find me at some point it had to mean that they weren't trying hard enough because they didn't care enough." She cleared her throat and added in a smaller voice, "So, eventually I stopped looking, too."

A heavy silence settled over them in which Regina lowered her hands to her lap, interlacing her fingers around her drink patiently waiting for Emma to go on. Emma for her part wiggled slightly in her seat and rubbed at her forehead with her free hand. She couldn't quite believe that she was sitting here in Regina's study telling her stuff she'd never told anyone, at least not in this way, but then again no one had ever asked her this question before, so there was that.

"But… there was always this niggling thought that maybe there _was_ an explanation, because every time I looked at that blanket I was reminded that I was 'Emma' from the start and that maybe they didn't have a choice," she finished.

Another beat of silence passed until Regina gave a small sound. "I'm sorry," she said her voice sounding kind of husky and when their eyes met Emma knew she meant a lot more than just the obvious.

"It's okay," she played it off with a small grin but held her gaze long enough to convey that her message had been received. "I'm not saying that I wouldn't change a few things if I could, but in the end, I don't regret anything either."

Regina's eyebrows quirked and her lips lifted in a smile of her own. "Henry," she said without question.

"Yeah," Emma replied, "It all comes back down to him somehow, doesn't it?"

Regina was still smiling slightly, more with her eyes than her lips and if Emma didn't know any better she'd say there was even a hint of fondness hidden somewhere in her scrutiny. "Most things, yes," she answered somewhat cryptically before downing the rest of her drink in the most regal looking way possible.

"Speaking of which," Emma said suddenly peeking at the clock on the mantle and finishing off her own glass, "I think I should tell him goodnight and get going." She stood up and Regina immediately followed, throwing her a curious glance making Emma wonder if her need for fresh air had gone unnoticed.

"Of course," Regina said striding out the door and coming to a stop at the foot of the staircase while Emma shuffled behind her.

"Henry, dear," she called, "Emma is leaving."

"'kay!" came the muffled response which was shortly followed by Henry's quick footsteps down the stairs. Regina stepped to the side letting Henry barrel into Emma giving her a hug.

"Oof, kid, you're gonna knock me down one of these days," she joked ruffling his hair playfully. Henry only grinned up at her and let go walking her to the front door.

"Can I come visit you at the station tomorrow after school?" he asked.

"Of course you can," she smiled picking up her leather jacket from the coat rack and slipping it on. "But make sure to ask your Mom as well, okay?"

Henry made a face as if he was just barely refraining from rolling his eyes. "She'll say yes anyways."

"Is that so?" Emma asked lifting a dubious eyebrow and pulling her hair out from under her collar.

"Yes," Henry shot back with a smug little grin that somehow reminded Emma of herself and of the fact that they still had an axe to grind with him. She'd leave the details for Regina but a little teasing had never hurt anyone.

"And how come?" she retorted with faux innocence, "manipulating people again, are we, kid?"

Henry's expression turned from smug to caught and slightly chastised in a second. "Um, no?" he said slowly. But Emma just grinned at him and touched his shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" She turned and opened the door stepping out into the cool evening air.

Regina reappeared beside Henry and seemingly out of nowhere held a Tupperware container out to Emma. Taking it automatically Emma could make out a dark, triangle shaped thing inside it. Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened searching Regina's.

„Oh, don't act so surprised," Regina scoffed, "You're not nearly as subtle as you'd like to think." This was accentuated with a small smirk as she laid her arm around Henry's shoulders in the door way.

Emma scowled but then grinned. "I trust you know better than to drive home inebriated?" Regina inquired as if Emma wasn't a fully functioning adult, thank you very much.

"I'm not _inebriated_ ," Emma objected incredulously. "I can hold my liquor, don't you worry."

"Says the woman who last time destroyed town property after only half a drink," Regina deadpanned.

"Yeah, yeah," Emma dismissed, "we all know that wasn't because of your precious cider. And I walked here anyways, so…" she trailed off before looking down and adding, "Thank you," indicating the chocolate cake.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be haunted by your unfortunate puppy dog eyes for the rest of the night," Regina sniffed.

Emma took two steps back bringing her to the hedge lined way leading up to the house. Clutching the Tupperware to her stomach she rolled said eyes. „If that's what you have to call it, then by all means…" she quipped before quickly turning around and throwing a "'Night, kid!" over her shoulder.

Regina's affronted huff was only answered by a snicker before Emma walked through the gate and rounded the corner disappearing from sight.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I did some research looking for a map of Storybrooke, but came up empty (mainly because all I found was incomplete and/or barely readable). So I combined the ones I found and made my own incomplete but readable map. The reason for all of this was that I wanted to know how far away the Rabbit Hole was from Mary Margaret's apartment, but I couldn't really find out, so all of this was kind of pointless? I simply assume that her apartment is somewhere in the vicinity of what is called her garden (although I'm not convinced it is actually Mary Margaret's garden just because she was seen there, hanging up a bird house sometime in the first season – it would have totally been a Mary Margaret thing to do to hang up bird houses in other people's gardens, right?).**

 **Anyways, if anyone has a map of Storybrooke, let me know!**

Since this website loves to swallow links, find my map on my tumblr: kaysgreenery

* * *

Regina's eyes blinked open in the darkness of her bedroom. Something had woken her, but her sleep addled brain needed a few seconds to find the source of her disturbance. The moon shone dimly through the curtains of her balcony doors, casting a faint silver glow on her chaise lounge but not quite reaching her bed. She sighed and closed her eyes only to open them again, when her cell phone buzzed like an oversized aggressive bee from the nightstand. Feeling her heart beating faster at being startled Regina turned and reached for her phone. It kept buzzing in her hand and she squinted against the harsh light of the display in order to make out who was calling her in the middle of the night.

'Emma Swan' flashed on her screen above a picture of Emma sporting a displeased expression and a huge brown cocoa-stain on her shirt. Henry had laughed so hard while snapping that photo that it was slightly blurred and Emma couldn't really be angry with him for capturing another one of her food malfunctions.

"Emma?" she answered the phone raspily and covered her eyes with her free hand but was only met with silence.

"Emma?" Regina repeated becoming concerned and sitting up in bed. She listened carefully and after a few seconds there was some rustling quickly followed by muffled curse words.

"Emma!" Regina called more loudly. Emma's voice had sounded so distant that Regina was sure she wasn't holding her phone close to her ear. When there was no response she called her name again and this time Regina heard a grunt and a distinct "Shit! What the f-"

"Emma?" She pressed the phone closer to her ear. There was a brief silence and then:

"You're not my flashlight."

Regina let out the breath she hadn't noticed she had been holding and relaxed against her headboard. Emma didn't seem to be in imminent danger, which was a good thing, but also a bad thing because if this wasn't a matter of life or death the still half asleep part of her was quickly becoming irritated. "What an astute observation at quarter to three in the morning," Regina pinched the bridge of her nose after a quick glance at the clock on her bedside table.

"I wish I could observe some more stuff, 'cause it's really dark here." Emma gave an uncharacteristic giggle at her own pun which made Regina's eyebrows shoot up her forehead.

"Where are you?" Regina questioned, suspicions rising.

"On my way home," Emma answered easily and a grin could still be heard in her voice.

Regina pulled her pillow up against her headboard and settled back. Something told her that this was going to take a while.

"I surmised as much," she said, "I meant _where exactly_ are you?"

"I'm um, on a street." Emma hesitated and suddenly sounded disoriented. "Why are my eyes closed?" came a barely audible whisper but then there was shuffling and she answered more loudly, "I'm on Second Ave, I think."

"Ah. Tumbled right out of the rabbit hole I see," Regina sighed, pronouncing the name as if she wasn't really talking about the bar.

"You got that right, Alice," Emma replied and Regina refrained from pointing out that her come back didn't really make sense. Instead she closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"Was there a reason you called me?"

Emma hummed on the other end of the line and when there was no answer after a few seconds, Regina pictured her with a hand stuffed into her pocket, kicking a pebble across the street. Shaking her head Regina straightened. If this conversation was meant to go somewhere she needed to take the reins and deal with it. Reluctantly she pushed back the covers and reached for her robe on the chaise lounge to make up for the lost warmth of her bed. She held the phone between her ear and her shoulder while pulling it on but didn't bother tying the belt around her waist before padding over to the balcony doors.

"There's something wrong with the street lights," Emma finally said.

Regina let out an exasperated breath. "And you called to tell me that?" she asked, "It couldn't have waited until tomorrow? Or… later today," she added pointedly.

Emma's exhalation matched Regina's own. "Noo. I didn't spec'fic-… speci-fi-cal-ly call _you_. I was trying to get the flashlight on my phone going, but maybe there's something wrong with it, too, and then suddenly you were yelling in my ear. Why would you yell at me in the middle of the night?"

For the second time since rudely being awakened Regina's eyebrows shot up. "Don't be overdramatic, dear. It doesn't suit you." Emma's behavior manifested the conclusion in Regina's mind. Her words weren't slurred but they were definitely a little bit softer around the edges than what Regina was used to. A huff came down the line and she could also hear the sounds of Emma's boots as she continued walking, but Regina didn't let her get a word in. "Miss Lucas drank you under the table? I'm impressed."

"Duh. She's a wolf. I'm only an ex-convict," Emma replied earnestly and without hesitation, making Regina let out a sound that was caught somewhere between a cough and a laugh.

"And it's the full moon or something," Emma added. "Where does your sudden confidence in my drinking abilities come from anyways? That's not what it sounded like the other day."

A small teasing smile crossed over Regina's lips while she let her eyes wander over the leaves of her trees swaying with the wind and glittering in the moon light. „Oh, I never said I didn't trust you knew how to drink. It is one of the first skills a human acquires after all. I'm just not sure about you being able to handle it…"

Regina could practically hear Emma's good natured eye roll. "I think no one is able to hold a candle against Ruby when she's on a roll. Or you know, wolfing it down." She interrupted herself with an amused snort. "Although… can you even say that when it's not food?"

Regina chose not to dignify this with a response and instead leaned closer to the window pane, bracing her left shoulder against the door frame. Emma and alcohol seemed to mean bad puns but also awareness of said puns, which kind of made it more acceptable, if only a little bit. Ruby's (arguably) first birthday party in almost three decades seemed to have been a real success. At least for the owner of the Rabbit Hole.

Ruby had lingered at the counter at Granny's a few days prior after handing Regina her morning coffee.

"Do you remember these outrageous birthday parties I used to throw where everyone and their grandmother got drunk off their asses?" She asked, a little grin spreading on her lips as she rolled her eyes. "Well, except for mine, obviously," she tagged almost as an afterthought.

Regina cocked her head questioningly. She honestly didn't "remember" and wasn't sure where Ruby was going with this and besides that, Ruby normally didn't make it a habit to chat with her in the mornings. Or in general.

"I've been wondering…" Ruby trailed off shifting on her feet and then leaned her elbows on the counter, tapping it absentmindedly with her black polished nails. The red streak in her hair caught the fluorescent lights when she looked up and fixed Regina with an attentive stare.

"Were they real? I mean, did they happen? Not just in my – and everyone's – head?"

That was certainly not what Regina had expected, but come to think of it the question wasn't all that absurd.

"How would I know?" She asked and was surprised by the lack of defensiveness in her own voice.

"Well, it was _your_ curse," Ruby said without malice and suddenly Regina felt like this was an exchange of olive branches. It would have made sense that these parties didn't really happen since birthdays and the marking of anniversaries in general defied the purpose of unknowingly being caught in a timeless circle of never ending misery, but the curse also hadn't been Regina's happy end, so maybe the curse followed its own logic that mainly aimed at screwing everyone over.

Regina herself had celebrated her own birthday after coming to Storybrooke but stopped bothering after a few years when she felt that the passing of every not so happy birthday only served to carve the hole in her heart a little deeper. Like so many other things in her life she'd only started again with Henry. She was fairly certain that he was the only child that celebrated their birthday and they had always kept it between the two of them, sharing presents, going somewhere, playing or lounging around all day and indulging in cake and cookies.

She felt a painful squeeze in her chest at the thought that keeping Henry oblivious had been made easier by the fact that he didn't really have any friends when he was younger and didn't know that everywhere else it was usual to share your birthday with other people than just your Mom.

She shook off the somber thoughts and settled into her default snarky disposition, making sure to let out a tiny smile so that Ruby understood that she wasn't being dismissive.

"I wasn't exactly invited. And I wasn't in on town gossip."

Ruby lifted an incredulous eyebrow and Regina had to give it to her. "Not _that_ kind of town gossip," she amended and the corners of her eyes crinkled as a genuine spark of amusement shot through her.

She stroked her fingers through her hair and then folded her hands around her coffee, rubbing her thumb against the plastic cover. "I honestly don't have a definite answer for you. I'm sorry. But chances are those parties weren't real."

Ruby looked at her and nodded slowly. Her eyes flittered over Regina's face and Regina wondered if she was trying to figure out if Regina's apology was meant for her first sentence or her second or both. Or if maybe she was sorry for something that she hadn't said in so many words.

Whatever it was, Ruby seemed to come to a conclusion and drummed her hands on the counter with an easy grin. "I guess that means it's gonna be my first birthday party in Storybrooke next weekend. Granny and I planned a get-together here in the diner with cake and stuff and I think half the town is gonna come."

Taking a sip of her coffee Regina shrugged her shoulders in a show of acquiescence, "Your grandmother's cakes are rather good."

Ruby let out a startled laugh and rolled her eyes. "That's the understatement of the century but I'll take it as high praise from you."

Busying herself with setting her coffee down and flicking a non-existent crumb from her coat sleeve Regina titled her head non-committally. No need to destroy any progress they had made by pointing out her superior baking skills.

"Anyways," Ruby continued, "bring Henry, okay? There are also going to be a few other kids so they won't get bored. And cake, right?"

Regina nodded. She had assumed that she was going to come with Henry since apparently everyone was coming, but having it confirmed was kind of nice. What she didn't expect was what Ruby said next.

"I'm heading to the Rabbit Hole with a few people afterwards. You're invited, too."

Regina couldn't stop her eyes from widening and she wasn't quick enough to form a response before Ruby waved her away and took a few steps down the counter. "Just let me know, okay?"

"Okay," Regina said after clearing her throat. "Thank you," she added, because what else was there to say? Not that the thought of visiting the Rabbit Hole was particularly tempting to Regina especially in what she imagined to be the awkward company of Ruby's friends (one of which was Mary Margaret, for goodness' sake), but all of this was certainly not what she had anticipated when she had spontaneously decided to get a coffee from Granny's this morning.

Ruby sent her a wide smile showing almost all of her teeth as she sauntered away. On anyone else it would have looked dopey in a stupid way, but on Ruby it looked sincere and a little bit wolfish as if she found Regina's not so subtle inability to handle a simple invitation funny. The image set another one off in Regina's head as she took her take away cup and made her way to the door.

The few times she had seen Red, either when she – once again – confronted Snow White or when she observed her in her mirror, Red had always seemed so… different. Where Snow had been self-absorbed, Red seemed self-conscious. Where Snow ran around trying to spread 'the good', Red searched for redemption. Where Snow couldn't hold back her endless talk of hope and true love and happiness, Red was barely contained power, pain and hunger for freedom. Where Snow was oh so pure because she herself had never – at least in the beginning – inflicted physical pain, Red shone _despite_ it.

In the few fleeting moments Regina spared Red any thoughts in her never ending vendetta she felt a grudging respect for her.

Her Storybrooke persona was grotesquely fitting and disparaging at the same time, a young woman rebelling against her grandmother the only way she knew how without realizing her real power. Ruby was probably the only person in Storybrooke who had from the beginning elicited a twinge of regret in Regina for the insult the curse dealt out to the long way Red had come.

In the end Regina did decline following them to the Rabbit Hole. She left Granny's with Henry when his bedtime approached after eating a piece of cake with him and only smiling when he went for seconds. She had a few drab but surprisingly civil conversations with some of the townspeople while Henry joined Emma at the dart board. One of the dwarfs – Mr. Clark from the pharmacy – even smiled at her tentatively. Or maybe that was only his about-to-sneeze-face, who knew. Come to think of it every one of his faces was his about-to-sneeze-face so she couldn't be sure, not that she cared. Not really.

Emma got her ass handed to her at darts first by Snow White and then by Ruby but Henry's enthusiastic cheering seemed to chase her exasperation away and she ruffled his hair with a roll of her eyes when he said something to her with a cheeky grin. She did win against David and when Emma laughed and turned around to playfully punch David's shoulder Regina concentrated on Mr. Hopper's always smiling face asking her about the planned Career Day at the High School.

A little humming sound from the other end of the line brought Regina back to the present. "Well, then," she decided since she was awake now anyways and there was no need for the town Sheriff to be found in a few days laying in a ditch somewhere. Not that there were any noteworthy ditches in the middle of town, but this was _Storybrooke_ and _Emma_ and maybe Regina was telling herself this so that she didn't have to acknowledge that she was maybe, possibly, a tiny bit concerned. "I'll stay on the phone with you until you are home. Isn't Ms. Blanchard with you?"

Emma snorted. Regina calling people by their curse names because she was irritated was kind of ridiculous.

"Noo…" Emma half whined half snickered which was no mean feat. "She went home early. God, she's such a _Mom_." Again, the eye roll was practically audible, followed by a strange sound that made Regina think that Emma had almost made herself throw up with her exaggerated expression.

A sudden thought hit Regina that not too long ago she would have scathingly responded with ' _you_ 're a Mom', the _but you don't behave like one and are obviously not suited_ obvious without being said. Not to mention that some time before _that_ she would have shot back 'yes, _she_ is a Mom'. She rubbed her forehead slightly disturbed by this development and what it meant and only hummed in response.

There was a slight pause and Regina thought that maybe for Emma it was still an issue reconciling the fact that she gave Henry up, but that she was a Mom now anyways, or that maybe she was afraid that _some people_ still didn't approve of her like that. Or maybe Emma was just drunk and the thoughtful lapse in the conversation was all just in Regina's head. No matter, it was not the time nor the place to deal with _that_ topic right now and the 'you called him 'our son''-talk a few days ago should have alleviated at least some of Emma's unease. If it was even there.

Emma's voice broke her out of her reverie. "It's not like she even has… I mean, her child is not a _child_."

So maybe the silence had been thoughtful after all even if Emma had been on a different track than her. Regina filed this tidbit of information to the others she would certainly not make an effort to talk to Emma about, because why the hell would she.

"Or a kid," Emma amended sounding frustrated with her lack of eloquence.

"Debatable," Regina jeered without missing a beat trying to lighten the mood.

Emma snorted and then cursed. "I really need to get my own place. Can't be sneaking around like some teenager."

The careful creak of a door was heard and then Emma's steps on the stairs of the apartment building. "Don't wake the parents, don't walk in on them… ugh," she mumbled as if talking to herself. "Don't get scarred for life. Don't scar _them_ for life."

"I get the picture," Regina interrupted caught somewhere between amusement and disbelief that she was standing half asleep in her bedroom at three in the morning with a drunken Emma on the phone and – for all intents and purposes – discussing Snow and Charming's sex life.

She would _not_ partake in that.

There was a longer lapse of silence in which Emma climbed to the third floor, the only sounds her steps on the stairs and her occasional labored breathing. Regina rested more comfortably against the window frame and closed her eyes. Just a minute now and she could go back to bed.

The steps ceased and Regina assumed Emma had made it to the apartment door.

"Sooo…" Emma started after a second's hesitation. Maybe it would be more than a minute until Regina could go back to sleep. Something about that word sounded like a suspiciously familiar entrée and not like Emma launching into the doubtlessly awkward process of saying goodbye.

Regina gave an exasperated sigh. „Emma, you need to work on your conversation starters. Have you learned nothing in… bail bondsperson school?"

She could practically hear Emma's grin in the breath she exhaled but chose to cut off whatever was coming next. She had little patience for this on a good day. And at night? Not so much.

"Anyways, I know where you're going with this. You're trying to 'prove' something again here. Which won't work by the way. Again. But if this is about me being… 'nice' again," she hesitated briefly over the word, "I'll have you know that staying on the phone with you was merely the sensible-…"

"Oh."

Regina's rant came to an abrupt stop. Emma sounded surprised, maybe a little bit amused and Regina didn't know what to make of it.

"Yes, that was really nice of you," Emma continued pensively as if it had only now occurred to her and somehow she managed to not sound mocking but genuine. Regina crunched her eyebrows in confusion but Emma went on before she had the chance to question her.

"But that wasn't what I meant. You know, the other day…" She let the sentence hang unfinished between them and Regina immediately started to wrack her brain suddenly on high alert. _The other day…?_

Searching for anything in her behavior of the last few days that would warrant Emma pestering her again she drew a blank.

Well, except for…

"Is this about the new office chair?" Regina asked and then pinched the bridge of her nose in lieu of hitting herself against her forehead. The chair should have gotten delivered on Monday. There was no way Emma could have known about her involvement, but her traitorous mouth had to go and-

"You mean that super ergonomic, super expensive thing that makes you feel like you're sitting on a cloud and don't ever wanna get up again?" Emma mercifully interrupted Regina's train of thought. "I thought that was town issued to, you know, all officials?"

Regina stiffened but quickly caught herself. "Of course it's town issued," she said derisively. That was technically true, because the town paid for it. Some might argue that since Regina saw herself as the Queen and owner of everything and everyone, being paid by the town really meant being paid by Regina, but it had been a long time since Regina had felt like she owned anything in Storybrooke. Only a few months after the curse it had started to feel like the town owned _her_ most of the time.

Still, the fact remained that the only town official not working at Town Hall was the Sheriff and Regina's office especially but the whole building in general had always been equipped with expensive and high quality amenities. At least furniture wise. She distinctly recalled Emma eyeing her secretary's computer strangely on more than one occasion.

Point was, the Sheriff's Station was pretty outdated in more than one respect and Regina had added a new chair to the list when she had last ordered new office supplies. It was simply the pragmatic thing to do and honestly overdue. Also, she had only remembered because Emma had been awkwardly fidgeting in her seat when they were going through the monthly reports a few weeks ago. It wasn't as if she had specifically set out to do something nice.

Regina let out a breath and shook her head. This conversation was quickly spiraling out of control. That's what you get for being… _sensible_.

"That was you?" Emma asked completely ignoring that Regina had just heavily implied that she had nothing to do with this. Regina wasn't sure if Emma was simply hard of understanding or if maybe she wasn't quite as inept at her job as Regina liked to make her out to be.

She pressed two fingers against her forehead but was saved from answering when Emma plowed on, picking up their conversation from before the tangent on the joy of proper seating.

"And no, it was about you saying, and I quote 'I don't want to kill you'."

"I so want to kill you right now," Regina shot back immediately.

There was a low chuckle and the barely audible creak of wood as if Emma had shifted on her feet or braced her hand against the frame of the apartment door. "Aah, you don't mean that."

"Maybe I just want to torture you," Regina deadpanned. Secretly pleased by how seriously she had delivered her riposte she allowed her shoulders to relax.

Suddenly sounding much less confident Emma questioned suspiciously, "Do you?"

Staring into the night Regina let a meaningful silence sink in and a smirk form on her lips. Her smirk only widened at Emma's dry response, "Oh how reassuring."

"I don't think it is in my job description to reassure you," Regina drawled in an unaffected tone.

"What job? Like your job as my friend?" Emma huffed and Regina's eyes widened in surprise. For all the times Emma had inconvenienced her with this particular topic, she had never actually been as explicit about it as right now.

There was something to be said about drinks washing away any remnants of inhibition and decorum.

"Because I'm pretty sure as my friend it would be in the job description to reassure me. And you know, to hang out with me, be nice to me and to generally like me." Emma seemed to be on a roll now, even though Regina was fairly certain that her vented frustration was only partly genuine, if her slightly smug inflection when she made her last point was any indication. She could just imagine her with her arms proudly crossed in front of her chest. Not that such a pose was really possible while on the phone, so her mental image easily transformed into Emma with a lifted chin and a proud little grin on her face.

A grin that needed wiping off.

"Well then I suppose it is a good thing that this is not the job I was talking about," Regina said. "I'm not sure what it is, but to call it 'friend' is pretty far-fetched. I feel more like your social worker."

All smugness gone Emma sighed exasperatedly. "Oh haha, very funny."

"I try." The innocence in her voice could not cover up her smirk and if she was honest she didn't even really intend it to.

"You try? Try what? Making me laugh? Well I'm not laughing, this backfired."

"Pity," Regina said inspecting her nails with pursed lips.

The line went quiet for a second. There was a hum and a shuffle as if Emma had tilted her head contemplatively.

"Are you trying to make me laugh?" She asked slowly. "What's that supposed to mean? Do you like my laugh? Oh my God, you totally do!"

Regina was momentarily caught off guard by Emma's twisted logic making her comment into something it wasn't meant to be, but two could play at that game and it was a foregone conclusion who would win. This was a set-up she could not ignore and so she answered in her best exasperated tone, "Yes, I do like it, when you laugh."

"I knew it!" Emma cheered as predicted and Regina felt a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat crawl over her face. Under other circumstances Emma probably would have been more wary of Regina's quick acquiescence, but like this, it was just too easy.

„And I can tell you why," she continued, her intonation clearly spelling out ' _don't celebrate just yet'_. "Because you can't talk while you laugh and if I have to choose between a wraith and a gorgon, I would rather listen to you guffaw like a lunatic barbarian than having to endure your mindless yapping."

Satisfied, Regina swapped her phone from her right to her left hand and listened to the silence of the line while leaning her head against the frame of her balcony door.

"Why do you always have to be so..."

"So what, dear? Evil?" She let out a low cackle just because she could.

"I was gonna go with 'mean'..." Emma mumbled sulkily.

"Mean? Are you going to call me a meanie next? What are you, in kindergarten?"

"See?" Emma harrumphed with an audible pout, "Do you always have to be so mean?"

Regina pressed her lips together amusedly. "That was nothing, darling."

There was a huff, probably punctuated by excessive eye-rolling and they fell silent. Regina brushed her hair back and thought that this phone call would be ending any time now. She turned around and leaned against the cool window pane, tracing the outline of her bed with her gaze.

"Regina?" Emma addressed her after a minute, suddenly unreasonably pleased with herself.

And maybe by now _she_ should have been the one to know better, but she was still basking in her victory, so she only sighed indulgently.

"What is it now, Emma?"

Emma couldn't have sounded smugger if she tried. "You called me 'darling'."

.

.

.

The dial tone was her only response.


End file.
